[GreenKeys] Kleinschmidt TT-4A/TG

[Bob Camp]

Hi

One of the most frustrating things about any complex mechanical gizmo 
is the "where does this go back at" problem. It's not just teletype 
machines. There are a variety of radios and other useful toys that have 
this characteristic.

If you have a reasonable digital camera running around the house I'd 
recommend taking as many pictures as you can stand to take of the 
beast. Use as much light as you can get a hold of and the results 
should be useful later on. The line drawings in the manuals are useful 
but not as good as a picture.

There is of course another alternative. You could get a second machine 
to look at as a reference. Of course partial disassembly is required to 
see how certain things fit. You could then get a third machine as a 
"still assembled" reference .....

A video camera is a nice thing to run as you hand turn the motor. A few 
shots from different directions would be needed to see how everything 
moves. The timing information is all in the manual, but again it's not 
a movie.

I'm sitting here surrounded by a pile of gear I can't even see the tv 
over so do as I say not as I do. When you start to tear the machine 
down do it with lots of empty table to spread out on. You may not need 
to do a lot of disassembly, but the machine will grow quite a bit even 
with modest tear down. Also make sure you have good lighting. You can't 
adjust things you can't see.

Decide on a cleaning fluid and a couple of lubricants (at least an oil 
and a grease)  before you do anything. Mix up a little bit of each with 
the other and let it sit for a while. If there is still lube on the 
machine include a drop or two of it in the experiment. You don't want a 
combination of materials that turn into rubber or varnish. It's not a 
common problem, but it does happen.

WD-40 is a cleaner and not a lubricant. It's a darn good cleaner, but 
it does not replace even a light weight oil. A lot of people (other 
than me) make that mistake.

Putting the machine in the dish washer is not likely to improve 
relations with the rest of the family. It also probably won't help the 
machine much either. This was a "big idea" back about 10 years ago.

Unless the machine came new in a factory sealed carton don't assume 
it's wired the way the manual says. If you want to use the original 
wiring then do a quick check before you hook up to it. Back in the good 
old days I always stripped the wiring and replaced it. That makes the 
machine a bit less than "original" and current thinking is that you may 
not want to do that much violence to the machine. One other 
consideration is the wonderfull smell of old oil, MFP varnish, old 
cotton, and maybe just a touch of mildew. Back in the good old days the 
TTY gear was in the bedroom so the smell of the wire was a 
consideration.

	Enjoy!

		Bob Camp
		KB8TQ






On Aug 14, 2004, at 11:27 AM, Greg Miller wrote:

> Hi everyone,
>     I am the new owner of a Kleinschmidt TT-4A/TG TTY and manual 
> thanks to the help of a fellow list member.  This is the first TTY 
> I've owned...
>
>     The machine is going to need a good cleaning and lubrication so 
> I'm planning on a complete disassembly and rebuild.  Does anyone know 
> of any tips, tricks or other advice I could use while working on this 
> machine?  Any info you could pass along would be greatly appreciated!!
>
>     I'm still new to all of this, but I tried to get it running last 
> night.  The motor runs and the keyboard unit seems to operate 
> properly.  I couldn't get the page printer to work though.  I hooked 
> the TTY to my Hal ST-6000 (per the test instructions in the TTY 
> manual) and was able to get about 50mA of loop current on the meter, 
> but the printer would not print what I was typing.  My guess is 
> there's something either bound-up or I hooked it up wrong.  Any 
> suggestions?
>
>     BTW, I'm going to be documenting my progress on the web once I get 
> going on it.  I'll pass along the web address soon...
>
>     Thanks and 73!
>     - Greg K2GTM
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